A Message from Executive Director Fish Stark
(February 5, 2026) — When my dad came out as the first open atheist in Congress, we had just two openly nonreligious elected officials - him, and State Senator Ernie Chambers in Nebraska.
Now we have over 130 elected officials in 35 states who identify as openly humanist, atheist, agnostic, or nonreligious - including three members of Congress, a record for our community.
It’s incredible progress. But it’s not enough. And we’re going to fix it.
That’s why, last year, we quietly grew membership in the CFE by more than 150%. (Yes, more than double.) Donations grew by 70%. Because we wanted to lay the groundwork for something big in 2026.
This is the year we come for what’s ours.
Look, I don’t think someone’s religious background or lack thereof is what qualifies them to serve. But in a country where 28% of people are nonreligious, it’s absurd for us to hold only 0.6% of Congressional seats. We deserve representation like anyone else.
And besides - humanists make damn good policy. We value progress over tradition. We let data and reason guide our decisions. We lead with compassion for all people. The point of electing our own isn’t just symbolic - it’s so they can fight for the values we believe in. Not just church-state separation - but policy based on science, not superstition, and equal rights and dignity for every person.
The radical religious right says we’re not fit to lead because we don’t share their beliefs. But we know America was built on the promise that every citizen is fit to lead as long as you are willing to defend the Constitution.
Here’s the truth: our country is controlled by a small cadre of extreme Christian conservatives, and they didn’t get there by accident. They quietly built a movement over decades. They cultivated talented local politicians who eventually rose to the national stage. They built coalitions in the halls of power. They raised massive amounts of money, won elections for their candidates, and then held them to account.
It’s time for us to do the same.
This year, we’re launching the Secular Seven - a slate of seven incredible candidates from the humanist, atheist, agnostic, and nonreligious community - and asking our community to focus on them.
If you give money to candidates? Give it to the Secular Seven.
If you volunteer for political campaigns? Volunteer for the Secular Seven.
If you have friends who are wondering which candidates to support? Tell them to support the Secular Seven.
We’re excited to announce the Secular Seven slate next week. We think you’ll like who you see. These are candidates who will break barriers. Two would flip Republican-held seats. One would be the first atheist elected to statewide office anywhere in the country. Two would be the first openly nonreligious people elected to Congress. They’ve all stood with our community for years. And of course, they all support church-state separation, equal rights for all, and public policy based on science, not nonsense.
They’ve done the hard, courageous work of stepping up to fight for their communities - and being honest about who they are.
Now we need to do our part.
I cannot emphasize this enough: if we continue giving money to candidates and organizations who treat us like we don’t exist, nothing will ever change.
But if we show that we are willing to invest our time and money behind candidates who represent us and fight for our values - and they WIN - then we will never be ignored.
We will see more candidates who are willing, proudly, to speak their mind about their true beliefs, because they know we’ll support them exactly as they are.
We will see more elected officials excited to meet with us and fight for our priorities, because they know that if they show up for us, we’ll show up for them.
Let’s go win a more secular world together.
Warmly,
Fish
